Minnesota used a suffocating defensive effort and their usual ground-and-pound attack on offense to shut out Colorado on Saturday, 30-0.
The Gophers held the Buffaloes to just 63 total yards in the lopsided effort. Defensively, Boye Mafe and Thomas Rush each recorded two sacks while linebacker Jack Gibbens led Minnesota with six total tackles, including one tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
Offensively, wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell made his season debut on Saturday, hauling in four catches for 79 yards.
However, Minnesota's ground game was the story as Trey Potts put together another stellar performance with 121 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.
The Gophers had 441 total yards of offense, 277 of those via the running game.
Minnesota improves to 2-1 on the season and will host Bowling Green on September 25th.
Colorado drops to 1-2 on the year and will play at Arizona State next weekend.
Key Moment:
The play that helped the Gophers put the Buffaloes away happened at the 4:28 mark of the third quarter when Jack Gibbens forced a fumble tackling Colorado quarterback Brendon Lewis that was recovered by Justus Harris on the Buffaloes 40-yard line. Seven plays later, running back Trey Potts hurdled into the end zone from three-yards out with 23 seconds remaining in the quarter to give Minnesota a 20-0 lead.
Defense Dominates:
After lacking any kind of pressure against Ohio State and Miami (Oh.), Minnesota's defense made up for lost time against the Buffaloes on Saturday, recording four sacks and forcing a turnover (as mentioned above). Boye Mafe and Thomas Rush each recorded two sacks as the Gophers held Colorado to just 63 yards of total offense, that included -19 rushing yards. All perfect recipes for a shut out victory.
Kicking Woes:
While the defense was masterful and the offense was efficient enough, Minnesota's Matthew Trickett had a forgettable day kicking the ball. After connecting on 46 and 50-yard attempts in the first two weeks, Trickett missed on 24 and 46-yard field goal attempts and sailed his first extra point attempt. All those misses sailed to the right. However, the Kent State transfer redeemed himself in the fourth quarter, booting a 33-yarder through the uprights with 9:53 remaining. Maybe it was the thin air or maybe it was the natural grass. Regardless, Gopher fans are hoping Saturday's efforts aren't cause for concern.
Offensive MVP:
Chris Autman-Bell made his 2021 debut and didn't disappoint, however, Trey Potts once again put in the work with 121 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries to get the nod.
Defensive MVP:
This will be shared by Boye Mafe and Thomas Rush. Both finally broke through on Saturday to record the Gophers first sacks of the season.
Notes:
- Mar'Keise Irving got his first action at running back of the season, rushing for 89 yards on 15 carries.
- Redshirt freshman running back Ky Thomas also saw the first action of his career, rushing for 66 yards on seven carries, including a 14-yard touchdown with 3:07 remaining.
- Quarterback Zack Annexstad saw his first action in a game since 2018, subbing in for Tanner Morgan with just over two minutes remaining.
- Tanner Morgan finished 11-of-17 for 164 yards.
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